#Heroes of the Storm gameplay

[asethabalanar]

Gaming

So my whole blogging experience will evolve around gaming and video games with some help from youtube videos so you can see them better, I am a big fan of Heroes of the Storm and I do not intent on quitting it still, I can share some cool moments with you with my video games Heroes of the Storm and I hope you like them, I make videos almost daily so expect new things in town, I don��t plan on…

[mandatory-ftmbreeder]

Some people have been asking so here’s the story of how i had a threesome with myself (trans guy), my boyfriend (cis guy), and our new fwb who is a divorced single father of 3 (cis guy) tldr; i understand why this guy has 3 kids cuz i would also let him put a baby in me again and again.

FOR REFERENCE: Single father = D, my bf = P.

I was traveling all day on the 28th (had TWO flights to get back to where i live) and i didn’t get home till 1 am. But thankfully D was still up to meeting up with us despite the late hour and we got to his house at 2 am.

We walk up to his front door and I can see this man is watching freaking heroes of the storm gameplay on his tv, he opens the door and is wearing a onesie lmfao. We walk in, its a small but very cozy house with a large couch. I sit on the couch in the middle with D to my left and P to my right. We talk about random video game shit for a bit, glance thru his tv and put on a random anime episode. During this my bf is cuddled up to my side and I’m moving my leg closer to D till its pressed against his.

D gets up to get water and my bf whispers to me that I should put my hand on D’s lap when i get back. D returns, it takes me awhile, but I eventually do put my hand on D’s thigh. It doesn’t take long before he’s doing the same to me. We talk a bit more like this, starting to rub each other’s thighs, we change the tv to 21 jump street, laugh at the stupid shit in the beginning, and then my bf starts encouraging me to put my hand on his dick. Slowly, I start to rub where I think D’s dick is and eventually I find it and shit. He’s already fully hard.

I’m also rubbing my bf’s dick with my other hand while I do this. Both of them are rubbing higher and higher on my thighs and D is rubbing my cunt through my shorts. I tug at D’s onesie and he opens it up for me and this man is FULLY naked underneath it. I grab his dick and start jerking him off. Bf tells me to return the favor and yanks off my shorts and boxers.

D gets down between my legs and starts eating me out with a passion. Clit sucking, lapping at my hole, going crazy. My bf takes off his bottoms as well and we end up in this triangle where D is eating me out, I’m jerking off my bf, and my bf is sucking D’s cock.

We move to the bed and I lick/suck D’s dick for a bit (but i have a small mouth and my jaw gets tired very easily unfortunately). Thankfully my bf LOVES sucking cock so my bf tells me to ride D’s face while he sucks D’s dick. We do this for a bit before I move down and start to ride D.

and holy fuck. Hooooly. Fuck. The moment this older man’s dick is in me I can tell I am in for a good fucking time. It fills me up so fucking good, stretches me and goes in me deep without hurting me (I’ve taken a dick way too big before that DID hit too deep and hurt me.) and even though I’m riding D, he’s also very actively participating and fucking right back up into me. Shit. It felt so good. I end up also slobbering all over my bf’s dick while D fucks my brains out and I bounce on it like a mindless slut. From this point onwards my brain is a mess because that dick renders me incapable of proper thought.

We fuck like that for awhile before my legs get tired so I lay on my back, legs spread open wide by D. And then D gets out this amazing huge powerful wand vibrator and thats when I know I am REALLY, REALLY in for a good time. Getting fucked by this man while a vibrator on my clit is so FUCKING GOOD. While this is happening sometimes I’m jerking off my bf or sucking his dick, or D is sucking his dick.

D decides to give my bf a turn fucking me. Bf mating presses me while I open my mouth wide and stick my tongue out and let D rub his cock all over my tongue and lips. I also suck on the tip and lick up and down it too. Moaning like a fucking bitch in heat. Doing this until my bf cums inside me.

Then we change positions again so I’m on my back, ass hanging off the side of the bed, while D stands up and fucks me. Back to using the vibrator again and this shit is fucking magical. And let me tell you all… D knows how to fuck. This man knows. how. to. fuck. He doesn’t hesitate to move me around however he wants, spreading my legs wide, folding me practically in half, yanking me closer to him so he can fuck me better. He puts his hand on my lower pubic area and pushes upwards so it pulls back the foreskin on my clit so i can feel the vibrator against it better AND HE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO ASK IF I WANTED IT. HE JUST KNEW IT WOULD FEEL GOOD FOR ME. (Probably because I clench really hard when something feels really good but yknow lol)

At this point we have to take a short 5 min water break (neither D nor I have cum yet, bf did cum and is just chilling) and my hair is literally WET and matted with sweat.

D and I go back to fucking in the same position. I end up taking control of the vibrator while he keeps fucking me. Bf is whispering naughty shit to me, telling me how much of a slut I am, how much I very obviously enjoy this, while D says how fucking tight and good my hole feels. D ends up cumming inside me and a few seconds later I’m able to make myself cum with D’s cock still in my cunt and holy. fucking. shit.

I screamed so loud my bf thought I was giving BIRTH. Listen, when I cum, I’m usually a quiet guy. I rarely make any noise and if I do its usually a few quiet whimpers. But this time… I genuinely could not fucking control myself and I was screaming LOUD. I wasn’t playing it up, I wasn’t faking it, that shit was from the SOUL. My orgasm is so fucking overwhelming it lasts a solid 45 seconds and i’m nearly screaming the entire time and my legs are shaking so hard D has to hold me up. Towards the end of my orgasm D pulls out of me and I can feel a thick string of cum leak out and go right down my entire ass.

My bf and I were literally laughing at each other after I finished orgasming like “um holy shit what the HELL was that???” girl idfk either.

And afterwards I felt very at peace with myself and so deeply satisfied all I could do was laugh and be sleepy till we got home and fell asleep.

Thanks for reading my sexcapade. Hopefully I’ll have more in the future with D to tell about later.

[somasoa]

The True Nature of the Ghost Ship: A Legend of Zelda Halloween Theory

This theory will be citing the gameplay changes and minor story retcons present in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, one of the most iconic parts of the latter half of the game is the search for The Ghost Ship.

 The Ghost Ship is a phantom ship that is present at night in certain quadrants of the Great Sea. The quadrant it appears in is dependent on the phase of the moon on that night - for example, on a full moon, the ship will be present at Crescent Moon Isle. It is translucent in appearance, with tattered sails and the spirits of the dead floating around it, and, without the Ghost Ship Chart, one can sail straight through it. When the Ghost Ship is present, a storm will start, and when getting close, an ominous chant can be heard.

それから、数百年・・・ あのガノンさえ、蘇らなければ このハイラルは永遠に 眠りから覚めることは、なかったのだ

Have you seen it? The Ghost Ship also appears in these seas… On the nights of the downward crescent moon...

Fishman (The Wind Waker) - Translated by Sidier

On Diamond Steppe Island, an island in the southwest of the Great Sea, there is a grotto that Link can enter. Upon delving inside, Link finds a ship graveyard - multiple ruined ships, filled with Floormasters.

Upon exploring this ship graveyard, Link finds the Ghost Ship Chart, which shows Link the location of the Ghost Ship is each night, and, upon encountering the Ghost Ship, he can now sail into it to actually board it.

We learn about the Ghost Ship Chart at an earlier point in the game, when Link encounters Lenzo. Lenzo informs Link that the Ghost Ship Chart was made by a man who sought the treasure of the Ghost Ship and wanted to document its movements. However, upon completion of the chart, the man suddenly died.

ある時、船が壊れてしもうてな わしは潮に流されるまま、海を 漂っておった・・・そんな時じゃ 海の彼方に見たのじゃ 幻のように透き通る不吉な船 そう・・・幽霊船の姿をな うわさでは幽霊船が出没する海域を 調べた男がいて、それをマップに 記したそうなのじゃが・・・ 書き上げてまもなく男は 亡くなったらしい ・・・おそろしや～ まあ、そのマップさえ手に入れば 幽霊船にのりこんで、中の財宝を そっくり頂けるかもしれんがの！

One day, my ship broke and I drifted along the seas, driven by the currents… That was when I saw something far away… A transparent, creepy ship, almost like an illusion… Yes… I saw the Ghost Ship… Rumors say that a man investigated the areas where it appears and wrote up a map, but… He died shortly after completing it… How scary! Well. If you can get a hold of it, you can board it and might able to take the treasures!

Lenzo (The Wind Waker) - Translated by Sidier

When Link enters the ship, he is transported into what appears to be another dimension. The ship appears very similar to one of the many other Submarines in the game or the bottom level of Tetra’s ship, but many parts of it are torn off, and through the gaps are inky black darkness, with the spirits of the vessel seen floating on the bottom floor of the ship.

After defeating the ghostly enemies present, a ladder drops down, which Link can then use to climb up and acquire the Triforce Shard concealed within the ship. An ear-piercing shriek rings out, and Link wakes up on the King of Red Lions, back on the Great Sea, now suddenly morning. 

While this is a fun and interesting questline, the ship actually doesn’t give us much to go on in terms of lore or story. However, this Halloween, I would like to propose a theory based on the limited evidence we have, and determine what exactly the Ghost Ship is and why it protects a Triforce Shard.

To preface the theory itself, it is necessary to establish a running trend with the Triforce Shard locations that are found on the islands of the Great Sea.

The King of Red Lions establishes that when the Hero of Time crossed the boundaries of time and returned to his childhood at the end of Ocarina of Time, the Triforce of Courage from the Adult Timeline was split into 8 pieces and hidden throughout the Great Sea. 

時の勇者が時を旅してハイラルを去る時 勇者のもとを離れ、８つのかけら��なって各地に飛び散ったと言われている

It is said that when the Hero of Time left Hyrule on his journey through time, the Triforce of Courage left him and was scattered among the land in the form of eight pieces.

The King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker) - Translated by Jumbie

While it is never specified in-game if the Triforce Shards were hidden before or after the flood, facts in-game make it likelier that it occurred after the flood. For example, the fact that the majority of the Triforce Shards are found on the surface of the sea rather than needing to be pulled up via the Grappling Hook suggests they were hidden at a time when the islands were the only accessible land. In corroboration of this, the presence of Triforce Sea Charts that reveal the locations of the Triforce shards suggests that their locations were only concealed after Hyrule was already flooded and the world was divided up into maritime quadrants.

Because of these facts, it is very likely the Triforce Shards were hidden in a time when the flood had already occurred and Hyrule had been swallowed by the Great Sea.

Many of the hidden Triforce Charts and Shards are directly hidden behind locations that are tied to the Royal Family. For example, many of the Triforce Shards are hidden within caves that utilize the same type of architecture present in the Tower of the Gods and Hyrule Castle. Furthermore, they are also hidden behind the usage of the Wind Waker, a relic of the Royal Family. While Daphnes may have been in possession of the Wind Waker during the time between the flood and The Wind Waker, this does not preclude the descendants of Daphnes creating seals on the Triforce Shards that would require the Wind Waker to unseal them.

Given this shared architecture, as well as the importance placed on the Wind Waker, it becomes immediately clear that the hiding of the Triforce was done at the behest of the Royal Family, or what remained of it, following the flood. You might wonder, however, what this has to do with the Ghost Ship. 

Taking into account the totality of these factors, it’s likely the Ghost Ship was specifically made by the surviving Royal Family and its servants as a means of protecting a Triforce Shard, similar to how they hid the other Triforce Shards in locations across the Great Sea. However, it’s unlikely that the surviving Royal Family members and their servants created the actual Ghost Ship, given its supernatural origins, so it’s likelier they created the thing that became the Ghost Ship.

Returning to Diamond Steppe Island for a moment, I mentioned that there is a ship graveyard there, and it is in that graveyard that Link discovers the Ghost Ship Chart. However, there is something peculiar about one of the ships present in the graveyard; upon closer analysis (and a bit of clipping through a wall), it can be determined that this ship is just a broken down version of Tetra’s Pirate Ship, as it is identical in almost every way, including the figurehead!

A nigh identical ship graveyard can also be found one quadrant north, at Needle Rock Island, with the same ruined ship. 

However, what does that tell us about the Ghost Ship? Interestingly, the Ghost Ship is also nearly identical to Tetra’s Pirate Ship. However, there’s a noticeable difference; the figurehead is not that of the one found normally on Tetra’s ship, but of a strange figure, with what appears to be its hands clasped in prayer.

Despite this difference, it can be demonstrated that the Ghost Ship shares the model of the ship used by Tetra and her crew, a vessel of the Royal Family, implying that the boats are of the same make, similar to the destroyed boats in Diamond Steppe Isle and Needle Rock Isle.

Strangely, the figurehead of the Ghost Ship has a very strong resemblance to the figures that are depicted in the introduction tapestry of The Wind Waker who were praying to the Gods after the Hero of Time’s failure to appear.

What could this mean? Suppose for a moment these praying figures in the tapestry were servants of the Royal Family, and survivors of the flood - very likely, considering the Royal Family were the ones who had the tapestry created following the flood, given its presence in Tetra’s room on her ship. 

As we know from Diamond Steppe Island, multiple of the same model of Tetra’s Pirate Ship were made, and it’s likely that it was simply the ship style that was utilized by those directly affiliated with the Royal Family. Given the presence of the Triforce Shard on the Ghost Ship, it’s likely that, in life, it was a regular ship that consisted of a crew that protected the Triforce at the behest of the Royal Family. However, as we’re told in The Wind Waker, centuries have passed since the original flooding event.

それから、数百年・・・ あのガノンさえ、蘇らなければ このハイラルは永遠に眠りから覚めることは、なかったのだ

Centuries have passed since then... If Ganon had not revived, Hyrule wouldn't have awakened from its endless slumber.

Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule (The Wind Waker) - Translated by Sidier

Like all mortal men, the crew of this ship dedicated to the protection of a Triforce Shard were doomed to die, whether it be through old age or some other unforeseeable disaster at sea. However, given the presence of the Ghost Ship in the modern day, still protecting the Triforce Shard, is it likely that those deceased souls - the ones who survived the flood, and who protected the Triforce Shard - then went on to continue roaming the Great Sea in the form of an undead crew on their supernatural ship. This would be reinforced by the fact we see a ruined Royal Family ship in Diamond Steppe Isle, which, coincidentally, is also the same location we find the Ghost Ship Chart. We know that the Ghost Ship Chart was made by a man seeking the Ghost Ship’s treasure; is it possible the Ghost Ship killed this man somehow, as a way of protecting the Triforce, and hid the chart in Diamond Steppe Island? If this is the case, it’s likely that it is capable of moving other objects, and is likely the reason the ship graveyard exists in Diamond Steppe Island in the first place.

From there, it is also possible, then, that the ruined Royal Family ship we see in Diamond Steppe Island is actually the “corpse” of the Ghost Ship, and the phantom ship we see roaming the seas is the spirit of this ship transformed, with its figurehead now resembling the praying figures who survived the flood - the servants of the Royal Family, who now, in death, continue protecting the Triforce Shard. However, it’s also possible that the Ghost Ship’s original ship was just an unseen fourth ship separate from Tetra’s, the Needle Rock Isle ship, and the Diamond Steppe Isle ship.

Regardless, this interpretation also explains why the ship disappears once Link acquires the Triforce Shard; the purpose of the ship and its crew was to protect the Triforce Shard, which they would continue doing even after shedding their mortal coils. But now, with the appearance of the one true Hero and his acquisition of the Triforce Shard, they can now leave the Great Sea and move onto the afterlife, their ultimate purpose finally fulfilled.

In summary, the Ghost Ship was a ship that consisted of servants of the Royal Family who survived the flood. The surviving Royal Family hid the Triforce Shards throughout the Great Sea, and one of shard was hidden amongst a group of these servants who had their own ship. However, eventually, the ship was destroyed somehow, and its ruins either sunk to the seafloor or possibly even found their way to the Diamond Steppe Island ship graveyard, either via natural or supernatural means. The Ghost Ship, the twisted and warped spirit of this ship, continued sailing the Great Sea, with its undead crew still protecting the Triforce Shard. A man seeking to acquire this treasure created the Ghost Ship Chart, and dropped dead upon completing it. The chart was then placed in Diamond Steppe Island, somehow, likely related to the Ghost Ship’s supernatural abilities. Eventually, the Hero of Winds stumbles upon the ship graveyard as well as the Ghost Ship Chart, and upon entering the Ghost Ship, he puts its undead crew to rest and acquires the Triforce Shard, allowing the Ghost Ship to end its reign as terror of the seas.

However, there is still much about this ship that goes unexplained. Why was its chart on Diamond Steppe Island? Why does it favor certain islands on the Great Sea based on the phases of the moon? While an answer to questions like these would explain practically everything surrounding the Ghost Ship, perhaps it’s for the best that this phantasmic ship still has some mysteries left unanswered...

[felassan]

Email from Modiphius:

"MASS EFFECT NEWS! Mass Effect The Board Game and Mass Effect Miniatures are almost here! Commander Shepard, it’s time to suit up—the galaxy needs you again! Mass Effect The Board Game - Priority: Hagalaz is coming very soon! But here’s some top secret data just for you: we’re also releasing a range of high quality resin Mass Effect Miniatures! You can use these miniatures to upgrade the plastic miniatures and tokens in the base game, or field them in any miniatures skirmish game (like Five Parsecs from Home), and they’re great for for miniatures collectors and Mass Effect fans everywhere! Find out more on our Mass Effect blog and get a tease of the miniatures representing the crew of the Normandy, including both male and female Shepard minis (with optional helmets) and Wrex and Tali (with detachable drone)! If you haven’t already, sign up for Mass Effect news here, so you can be among the first to find out when pre-orders for Mass Effect The Board Game - Priority: Hagalaz and our Mass Effect Miniatures launch VERY soon! Until then, stay vigilant. The galaxy is counting on you."

[source: email from Modiphius]

Images of the miniatures (Sheps, Garrus, Liara, Tali, Wrex)

[source]

Info from the associated blogpost:

"Mass Effect Miniatures By Gavin Dady Art by David Benzal October sees the launch of Mass Effect The Boardgame - Priority: Hagalaz. In it, Commander Shepard and their band of loyal squadmates take on a new mission to explore a crashed Cerberus Cruiser on the storm-wracked world of Hagalaz. Within the cruiser they will face many dangerous enemies, from the survivors of the Cerberus crew, native life and even the dangerous captives and experiments that Cerberus were keeping aboard the ship. The enemies are represented by thick, full colour, illustrated card tokens in the game, but Modiphius are also producing a range of 32mm, multipart miniatures to compliment them. As with our previous Fallout and The Elder Scrolls miniatures, these are highly detailed resin collectors miniatures.    In this first phase of miniatures, we are concentrating on the core sets required to build up the forces for the board game. The first of these is The Heroes of the Normandy Alpha. It includes six miniatures in alternative poses for the PVC sculpts from the board game.  Commander Shepard is represented in both male and female versions. Armed with the M-8 Assault Rifle or her M-3 pistol and Omni-blade, Shepard is ready to take the fight to their enemies. Shepard also comes with optional parts to depict them with either bare head or their iconic helmet from their N7 armour. The former C-Sec officer, Garrus Vakarian, has been by Shepard’s side from their earliest days as a SPECTRE and is depicted in his role as one of the galaxy’s premier snipers (arguments about who is the better shot between Shepard and Garrus aside). Garrus is depicted with his signature M-92 Mantis rifle, repaired armour and the scars he gained as The Archangel. Next amongst Shepard’s staunch allies is Dr. Liara T’soni. A powerful Asari biotic, expert on the ancient Prothean race and, secretly, the powerful underworld figure The Shadowbroker. Liara  is depicted initiating one of her powerful biotic abilities, energy crackling around her hand. Tali’Zhora Nar Rayya is the young Quarian that Shepard first met whilst pursuing the rogue SPECTRE Saren. Tali is a gifted engineer and staunch advocate for the Quarian people. She is depicted with her drone, Chatika, who can be modelled attached to Tali’s Omni-tool, or kept separate to act as a marker during gameplay. Rounding out the squad is Urdnot Wrex, the veteran mercenary and leader of Clan Urdnot. Wrex is a powerhouse in battle, utilising biotic abilities, a powerful M-300 Claymore shotgun and, more than once, a well placed head-butt. As well as these miniatures, we are also producing further sets to compliment the boardgame, including Reaper Forces, Cerberus Troops and some of the Priority Threats that you will face as you make your way through the crashed cruiser. These sets are ideal for upgrading the tokens in the base game, or for use in any miniatures skirmish game (like Five Parsecs from Home) or for miniatures collectors everywhere. Look out for special collectors and gameplay bundles available exclusively from Modiphius  when the Mass Effect Board Game pre-orders go live soon! In the meantime, you can sign-up for more Mass Effect news here."

[source]

[elliot]

I played the alleged anti-rpg, moon (1997) approximately 2 years ago; it was a game that took my mind by a storm and inspired a well of creativity unlike any other. After years upon years of being incapable of original work due to a deep rooted dry spell, it was moon that opened the floodgates of my brain back up and enabled me to start making things directly from the heart again.

I’ve played a lot of games, and moon is both a cult classic and one of the most fascinating for a good reason. In the 6~ ish hours you get with it, it communicates such a wealth of abstract thematics that have managed to create a ripple effect present with games we love even today. This post examines the core of the game: the metanarrative relationship that exists between The Hero and The Invisible Boy.

There are major spoilers for the game in this post. Please read at your discretion! 

When moon posits itself as an anti-rpg, what does that term entail?

At a glance– the player assumes it’s a reference to the gameplay system which is structured around “saving” animals/monsters as opposed to fighting them. 

However, what makes the game an anti-rpg in actuality has little to do with this feel good, heartening mechanic: because the very end of the game tells you distinctly that this mechanic will not truly save anything or anyone. Whether you’re killing or saving these monsters, animals, characters, etc. you are still viewing them as metrics, objects of your affection/destruction, numbers and things and targets for your own amusement. The Invisible Boy still has a leveling system, just like The Hero. To allow these creatures and characters to flourish, you ultimately must leave them behind. The game is an anti-rpg, not because you harness the power of pacifism over violence, but because the ultimate act of love for this game, for its characters, for its messaging is to step away from it and internalize what it’s communicated to you in your real life. That’s the only way you can “beat” it.

But to deconstruct this further: the game itself deconstructs the notion of “roleplaying” ala using the protagonist as a self insert through The Invisible Boy. Who is The Invisible Boy, and who is The Hero?

When introduced to the game, you are playing as a young boy who is subsequently also playing as a character: The Hero, who serves as his initial avatar. The first thing the game prompts you to do is enter a name. The title track of the song that plays during this sequence is Entry Song, a seemingly basic reference to “name entry” that doubles as an allusion to the fact that this is the exact moment where both the Invisible Boy and The Hero “enter” the world. The name you enter applies to both characters, a reveal that’s delivered to you at the very end of the game – The Invisible Boy has this name in lower case, while The Hero has it in upper case. Fundamentally the same name but mirrored to each other. The young boy is thrust into the world through the TV screen, losing his corporeal form and therefore becoming The Invisible Boy. His existence is a strange, undefinable thing; for a reason never made known or explicit, The Invisible Boy is capable of seeing dead animals felled by The Hero. This may be due to the metanarrative divide he exists within as a “real” boy who has entered the two dimensional world of the game, but his ability to communicate with the dead transcends his interactions with the slain animals. In the sequence with Tanaka, it’s noted that the Invisible Boy has the capacity for contact with spirits and that “regular people” cannot enter the liminal space that exists between the living and the dead. What does this imply regarding the Invisible Boy? I’ll circle back to this after establishing what we know about The Hero.

The Hero, when you are first introduced to him, only exists at the mercy and control of the boy controlling him; once that boy enters the universe, he seems to act in accordance to his mission regardless and is preoccupied with the notion of leveling up and defeating the Dragon no matter the cost. Of course, easter eggs and lore within the game go on to reveal that The Hero is actually Gramby’s dead grandson, pierced by the White Feathered Arrow and trapped within the cursed armor, which effectively brainwashed him into becoming a bloodthirsty warrior with no real cognizance of what’s going on. The rainbow generator may seem inconsequential, but rainbows often symbolize the bridgeway between life and death.

So what does that have to do with the Invisible Boy?

The simplest way of communicating it is that the Invisible Boy and The Hero quite literally cannot exist without one another. The prologue featuring The Hero (called FAKE MOON) that you go through foreshadows the game’s central plot events but through the lens of The Hero, which are then experienced through the lens of The Invisible Boy. From chasing around the “crazed dog?”, to the fight with Perogon, to boarding the airship, to the mass slaughter of the animals on the moon – the story of the game, whether it’s as The Hero or The Invisible Boy, has already been written into existence. Much of moon is storytelling in reverse, wherein the further you progress, the more you come to understand The Hero’s “reality” during FAKE MOON. The songs that play during FAKE MOON are songs that reappear during REAL MOON with different instrumentals to denote them (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Same melody and yet it evokes a completely different feeling.

The Invisible Boy follows the same road as The Hero; everywhere The Invisible Boy goes, The Hero is shortly up ahead of him. They take the same steps, meet the same people, activate all of the same plot points. The Hero’s world is rigid and unyielding, limited to an 8 bit soundtrack with environments and people rendered to their simplest forms. The Invisible Boy’s world is a subversion of this, with no soundtrack to guide him – instead you’re given a variety of genre breaking tracks to play of your own accord, with only the sound of your own footsteps to accompany you (The Hero and The Invisible Boy’s footsteps are both used to characterize their presences). The Invisible Boy’s leveling system demands that he talks to and understands other characters, but there’s still a pervasive sense of loneliness that colors his gameplay, a feeling that never quite leaves; much like The Hero’s journey. When Gramby sees The Invisible Boy, she recognizes him as her grandson and uses the inverse of his name, the version of it that exists in all caps. 

Is this to say that on some level, The Invisible Boy and The Hero exist as the same entity in dual points and egos? Possibly. The Invisible Boy is a real person, and The Hero comes into existence because of him. At the end of the game, when The Invisible Boy is slain by The Hero, The Hero dies immediately: because The Hero cannot exist without the Invisible Boy. When The Hero’s armor falls away, you do not see a child.

You see nothing. You see an invisible boy.

Florence speaks often of a recurring motif in this game: rebirth, the bridge between realities, life and death. Dying and being born again. The Hero gets his second chance – as the Invisible Boy. Because the Invisible Boy and The Hero are still a product of their design (the role of the protagonist), they condemn the cast and world to the same fate regardless of the means they take. Shedding their role within the game is the only way they can save anyone. Florence proposes that the dreamscape, the subconscious, is a gateway to another reality – The Invisible Boy’s “promises” to the Moon Queen take place in the dreamscape, where he retains his form as a human child as opposed to The Invisible Boy. The Invisible Boy and The Hero are both bound by their promise to save Love-De-Gard no matter the cost and no matter the sacrifice. On the moon, when you see the Moon Queen in person, she is physically attached to the Dragon The Hero fights: they exist as a dual ego, as two sides of the same coin. The Hero has been following the trail of the Dragon, while the The Invisible Boy has been following the guidance of The Moon Queen. They are one and the same. 

Fiction, stories, games, are escapes to other realities that exist to us and us alone. We, as the player, make out its meaning. Is that meaning steeped in blood? Is it dehumanization? Is it gratification?

While many use the scrapped “ending” as a frame of reference for The Hero’s fate or what he truly is, that’s simply inaccurate; Kimura has talked about this “ending” quite a bit. Here is an interview where he states that not only was this not an “ending” but rather a part of a scenario that you’d clear in order to eventually attain an ending that resolved the scenario in question, but also that it was scrapped early into development because it was not the direction they had wanted to take the game in. Thematically, it’s incongruent with what we’re presented. Here’s another interview where Kimura discusses it, once again stating that it would clash with what the story was presenting as is.

Conversely, there is a vocal theater that was released where you follow along with The Hero, aka the young boy that exists inside of him. Near the end of this theater, you get to hear The Hero actively make the choice to exit the game and open the door; perhaps cementing the idea that The Hero and The Invisible Boy exist as dual egos, hence why neither are shown in the ending credits.

The Invisible Boy and The Hero could be viewed as an elaborate metaphor for our relationship to gaming and art. They could be viewed as a metaphor for how young boys are socialized into violence through gaming. They could be viewed as a literal story of rebirth. They could be viewed as a young boy, learning to navigate the world and himself, at odds with these two facets of himself. They could be viewed as a young boy wanting to learn how to do right by the world, and the creatures he’s come to love. They could be viewed as something so abstract, or something so literal, that the possibilities are endless – but their identities and roles are inextricably linked and form the heart of moon. After finishing, I dug through the game in a relentless pursuit in some attempt to understand what happened to The Hero, how his narrative could be read more mercifully, what the point of this child’s alleged suffering was–

In the end, the answer is simple. You are him and he is you, just as the Invisible Boy is.

[dexjarxenoengage]

Have you ever noticed that Alear and the Four Royals acts as a Five Man Band? The story may not show that well, but their gameplay, nations and represented Emblems demonstrate that they are this trope perfectly. Veyle acts as the Sixth Ranger (actually 11th Hour Ranger). They best represent this trope as well because Alear, the Royals and Veyle are the only playable characters that can’t die on Classic Mode (oh and Vander too, but he’s just a mentor kind of guy).

The Five Man Band is among one my favorite tropes in media. Why? IDK why, it just is. I used to be a Power Rangers fan, five is usually among the highest these teams get to. In which case it becomes a Three plus two scenario where a Power Trio becomes a Five Man Band (Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, and Jungle Fury come to mind).

I bring up this trope to talk about Fire Emblem Engage specifically, Alear, and the Four Primary Royals fit this trope. And it’s not just in team composition, IMO, the Emblems they are best known for (specifically in the Prologue cutscene) best give idea on why they fit the role in the team.

Alear the The Hero/Leader of the team; because obviously they are the Fire Emblem Lord, they are the Divine Dragon: the only one who can summon the Emblems who can save the world from the Fell Dragon. And just like any other Fire Emblem Lord in the franchise, if they are defeated, it’s a game over. Pretty typical Fire Emblem knowledge.

Alear’s most common Emblem is Marth. Marth is the first ever Fire Emblem Lord in the franchise, the idealistic leader that his loved ones trust and follows. Marth is the first of many sword wielding heroes in the franchise. Swords are a very common weapon type for heroes (Micaiah is the only Emblem in the main game that canonically never uses swords).

Alfred is the Lancer. Who usually acts a foil to the Hero/Leader, usually is their first/best friend/companion, and/or is the first to question any decision the leader/hero makes. Not every character of the archetype has to be a rival or a jerk (or in most cases both), Alfred is one of those examples. Alfred is the first Royal to join. Firene has the closest ties with Lumera, and Alfred appears in more cutscenes than any other Royal in the game. (Double points for having Lances as his primary weapon type).

The Emblem he uses in the Prologue is Lucina. Lucina is the not the central protagonist of Awakening, Chrom is. Even still, Lucina is a character who acts as an emotional foil to Chrom. More importantly, Lucina is the descendant of Marth, who happens to be Alear’s most associated Emblem.

Diamant is the big guy/muscle of Alear’s team. Brodia is the Kingdom of Might after all. Diamant is the most physically imposing with his main stats being his HP, Strength and Defense. Diamant is also the tallest and oldest member of the team (age being 25, Alfred is 21, Ivy is 20, Timerra is 18 and Alear is physically 17).

Diamant’s national Emblem is Roy, who gives Sword Power as an inheritance skill that allows Diamant to hit harder with a sword, but at the cost of avoid. Rise Above (Emblem Roy’s Engage skill) increases his level and stats along with them. Ironically, Roy was 15 years old in his games, Diamant is the oldest Royal, yet Roy is one of the younger FE lords next to Leif.

Next is Ivy, befitting of Elusia’s title of the Kingdom of Knowledge, she is the smart girl. Ivy has gone to school and was at the top of her class. (Studying is also one of her hobbies and likes items regarding them) Ivy is the most level headed of the Royals. Ivy is the only member of this main team that uses magic, and her ability to fly and heal is invaluable in a Fire Emblem game.

Ivy is associated with two Emblems rather than one. Lyn (the Emblem entrusted to Elusia) has the ability to summon doubles that can be used to distract the enemy. While Leif is an Emblem that switches between your current weapons it best suit the situation (often for the worst, unfortunately). It’s also worth noting that Soren is the DLC Emblem entrusted to Alt. Elusia. Soren is the Tactician of the Greil Mercenaries.

Finally, Timerra acts the emotional core to the team as the heart. Despite being far more politically savvy than what her peppy personality might suggest, she still is a genuine mood-maker in her supports where she attempts to get Ivy to open up and give perspective to Diamant on their ways of leading their countries. Her Queendom represents Freedom and is a very accepting person.

Her Emblem is Ike, and even if people mainly see him as a snarky guy, Ike is a very compassionate person. I mean, Ike would have to be a nice guy if he is the only person Soren is unfailingly kind to and is devoted to above everyone else. Ike’s Resolve (pun intended) is the thing that keeps the Greil Mercenaries from falling apart after his father’s death. Gameplay wise, Timerra with Ike act as a Critical Hit fighter with Wrath and Sandstorm. It takes a lot of effort and a bit of luck to make the most of her.

And finally, Veyle rounds out the team as the Sixth Ranger (doubles as 11th Hour Ranger, she is the last recruit in the main game). Sixth Rangers often comes joining in the team after a rivalry dispute and or brainwashing (Tommy Oliver (trope namer) and Zuko from Avatar comes to mind), Veyle is no exception. Veyle is the only other Non DLC Dragon units in the game. Most Sixth Rangers often (like the Red Ranger) have a power no other Ranger does.

Veyle doesn’t have a designated Emblem outside of Marth (who her evil self used, and she has boss dialogue with Emblem Marth in his Paralogue), but I consider Emblem Alear to be the closest thing Veyle will get to a designated Emblem. Her evil self also wears Alear’s Ring in the bad ending.

The major difference between Alear’s team, and the Four Hounds led by EVeyle is that the Hounds were already formed long before the story began. Alear and the Four Royals don’t officially form until more than halfway through Engage’s main story chapters. And yet these guys became a real team where the Hounds failed.

[stevewarlock]

My 10 most wanted characters for Marvel Rivals

Putting under a read more because it ended up being pretty lengthy.

Doctor Doom: Borderline non-negotiable. With his magic and technology allowing him to function as either a vanguard or strategist, Doom would be incredibly easy to fit into this game's style, both in terms of gameplay and design. There's no excuse not to have Marvel's best villain in Rivals.

Mystique: Every hero shooter needs its spy, and while Loki's illusions can trick the enemy, Mystique can pose as one of their own. With all these powerful heroes and villains running around, having a character built for subterfuge would add some diversity to team strategies.

Nova: Richard Rider deserves the world. The least they could do is give him a spot on this roster! The human rocket would be a fantastic addition! I'd see him as a similar vanguard to Peni Parker, moving fast to deny space and blast the enemy, all while tanking everything his opponents can hit him with.

Cyclops: X-Men '97 has really given Scott a big boost in popularity, and his optic blasts make him a great fit for a hero shooter. Letting him use them for propulsion could give him some really cool movement options too. He'd be a nice duelist, though his ability to inspire others and lead them to victory could make him a good strategist as well.

Thor: Worth it for the Storm combo attack alone. The prince of Asgard would be a great vanguard, especially if they tap into the Odinforce or Rune magic as inspiration for his abilities. It's hard to think of a better heavy-hitter than the Odinson himself.

Falcon: While there are already flying characters in the game, Sam's sheer speed and pal Redwing could easily make him stand out as the team's eye in the sky. He could function as a duelist or even a strategist depending on how they interpret and add onto his skillset.

Nightcrawler: Another X-Men icon, Kurt's teleportation, wall-crawling and acrobatic expertise would make him one of the most mobile heroes in the roster. Add some swashbuckling and you'd have one of the coolest as well! He'd definitely be one of Rivals' top duelists.

Moondragon: She can summon a dragon made of telekinetic energy. How has Heather not been in a good video game yet? She'd make a great vanguard, her dragon construct absorbing damage for her team while dishing it back out with great force!

Gambit: Remy's power set makes him perfect for the demoman archetype, especially in a game where several characters can build walls to deny areas to the enemy. Everyone's favorite gambler can easily fit the role as a duelist.

Gamora: Magik can't be the only swordswoman duelist in the game forever! Hacking and slashing as the deadliest woman in the galaxy would be an awesome experience, and frankly one I'd be disappointed not to get.

[thryth-gaming]

Huntober 2024

This idea came up in conversation on one of the Monster of the Week discord servers and I worked this up and have started to do it.

I'll include links to the individual entries below as I go.

My general rules for myself:

I'm making Hero Forge minis ahead of time while thinking of general themes.

I'm doing a mystery and a hunter for whom that mystery could have been an origin story.

I'm taking about an hour to do the hunter and mystery, which means the mystery is bare bones and will often lack mechanics. I'm focusing on cast descriptions and Countdown.

Monster of the Week News

Yes I made the title there a link!

The game has two new supplements on the way and I'm a co-author on both of them. These books both focus on Hunters providing hunter-centric arcs, new hunter and teams playbooks, and advice on gameplay and homebrewing.

The Entries:

1: Nightmares

2: Schools (CW: Suicide)

3: Darkness

4: Cheer (CW: School killings, police brutality, mental illness)

5: Nature

6: City

7: Redemption

8: Transformation (CW: Religious Trauma)

9: Itchy (CW: Body Horror)

10: Bugs

11: Magic (very bare bones, more of a seed than a draft)

12: Science

13: Stars

14: Courage

15: Luck

16: Rural

17: Spirits

18: Storm (CW: Bigotry)

19: Light

20: Grief

21: Creation

22: Ancient (CW: Spiders)

23: Fear

24: Retail

25: Dragon

26: History

27: Disaster

28: Modern

29: Vengeance

30: Secrets

31: Ritual

Hero Forge Minis

(if you find the original posting, then only the first 29 Hero Minis are shown due to limits on Tumblr image attachments)

For the Last two images go here.

Jamie el-Murad - The Spooky (Nightmares)

Megan Cote - The Divine (Schools)

Tartok Kise - The Changeling (Darkness)

Betty Kates - The Wronged (Cheer)

Erik Weathasea - The Mundane (Nature)

Amber Mekonen - The Professional (City)

Kiera Nieves - The Chosen (Redemption)

Róisín MacTiernan - The Flake (Transformation)

Milo Boyd - The Host (Itchy)

Bunny Stevens - The Crooked (Bugs)

Azalea Burns - The Spooktacular (Magic)

Kerry Knight - The Action Scientist (Science)

Z'ivhos - The Visitor (Stars)

Haiden Bates - The Meddling Kid (Courage)

Walter Lynn - The Snoop (Luck)

Kumiko Vlahalli - The Covenant (Rural)

Emma Terreal - The Hex (Spirits)

Noel Bara - The Spell-Slinger (Storm)

Darmont Shale - The Initiate (Light)

Maisy Fisher - The Gumshoe (Grief)

Glory of the Forgotten - The Forged (Creation)

Mercedes Kerr (and The Morrow) - The Pararomantic (Ancient)

Ewa Bagan - The Monstrous (Fear)

Luca Reyes - The Envoy (Retail)

Corranth - The Summoned (Dragon)

Reginlief Bodvardottir - The Exile (History)

Silver Bishop - The Celebrity (Disaster)

Zahra Dines - The Interface (Modern)

Four - The Hard Case (Vengeance)

For the Last two images go here

[the-monkey-ruler]

Overwatch (2016)

Date: May 23, 2016 Platform: PC / Xbox One / PlayStation 4 / Nintendo Switch Developer: Blizzard Entertainment Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment Genre: First-Person Shooter Theme: Sci-Fi Franchises: Overwatch Type: Appropriation

Summary:

Overwatch was a multiplayer first-person hero-shooter developed and published by Blizzard for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on May 23, 2016. It was later released for the Nintendo Switch on October 15, 2019 and was discontinued on all platforms on October 3, 2022 (with all servers shut down in preparation for the free-to-play sequel).

Blizzard's first original IP since the 1998 game StarCraft, Overwatch combines elements from class-based teamplay shooters (such as Team Fortress 2) with hero-based MOBAs (such as Heroes of the Storm). It is set in a futuristic Earth, after the fall of an international task force eponymously known as "Overwatch".

The game primarily involves 6v6 objective-based skirmishes wherein each player can choose from one of over twenty uniquely designed "Heroes." Each Hero has their own set of unique abilities, making them suited for specific team roles (such as damage-dealers and shielders). Additional game modes, such as traditional deathmatch modes and limited-time PVE modes, were added post-release along with a fully-featured scripting system for custom game modes.

Since its original release, the game received numerous updates and special events, adding a variety of cosmetics (which make use of a loot box and premium currency system earned through both gameplay and microtransactions), new Heroes, and new maps. It also received numerous quality-of-life updates, including revamped role-based matchmaking, seasonal competitive ranking, and cross-platform multiplayer support.

It later received a free-to-play sequel on October 4, 2022, bringing most of the content over while adding new Heroes, locales, and game modes (including PVE missions with persistent elements). Multiplayer is revamped for 5v5 play, cross-platform progression is added, Heroes are now unlockable, and the loot box system is replaced with a seasonal pass system. The servers for the original game were shut down a day prior to the sequel's release, making it impossible to play.

It entered numerous periods of both closed and open betas since October 27, 2015

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch_(video_game)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xq9G5DyzMc

[an-aussie-button-masher]

The Multiverse's Mightiest Heroes - A Quick Review of the Marvel Rivals Closed Beta Test

   Doom strikes! Across an entangled timestream converging around a duo of battling Doctor Dooms, various iconic (and some obscure) heroes and villains from across the Marvel multiverse are thrown into battle in NetEase’s Marvel Rivals! An upcoming hero shooter in the same vein as Overwatch or Apex Legends, Rivals hosted a closed beta test earlier this year that I was lucky enough to participate in. For two weeks, testers got to play as 23 different Marvel characters battling in the halls of Asgard or the neon streets of Tokyo 2099 in a surprisingly polished beta with only a small handful of standout issues. Testers could play as tanky Vanguards like Thor or Magneto, powerful Duelists like Iron Man and Spider-Man, or helpful Strategists like Rocket Raccoon and Luna Snow. I’ll share my thoughts on the closed beta here before the full game releases on December 6th 2024 - enjoy!

   The majority of the cast has highly satisfying gameplay; bringing the thunder as Thor or zipping around as Spider-Man feels just as cool to play as it seems in the comics and films. Many characters should also feel very familiar to players of other hero shooters - for example, Storm’s controllable weather aura will remind Overwatch players of Lúcio’s switchable music - and I had no trouble quickly picking up how to play as, alongside, or against each hero despite the sheer number of them. Quick kill times means it’s easier to feel like you’re providing more impact per match even if it means more personal deaths - if all your scoreboard numbers are high, you can’t be doing too poorly right? The regenerating destructible environments also really set Rivals apart from the rest of the genre and keep things interesting. Someone hiding from you in a building? Just get rid of the building!   Of course, it was a beta test, so some issues are inevitable. I’m expecting most of these to be resolved by launch - but one can only hope. The lack of map variety was one particular problem; with only three game modes across four maps in total, it started to feel rather repetitive once I’d escorted Spider-Zero through Tokyo 2099 nine matches in a row. I’m also begging the developers to add proper Australia/Oceania servers - I, and plenty others, had to endure skyrocketing latency all beta long, getting repeatedly trapped in the loading screen for half the duration of many matches! I tended to be quite late to those first decisive team fights after staring at that 99% loading bar for several minutes.    Gameplay aside, this game’s artstyle is amazing. The characters all look incredibly striking and distinct, instantly recognisable yet with a unique twist on each one. Definitely my favourite look for Scarlet Witch in any of her adaptations. The voice acting is also top-notch, with an absolutely stacked cast; Troy Baker, Nolan North, Nika Futterman, Liam O’Brien, James Arnold Taylor, Yuri Lowenthal, and so so many more familiar talents. Finally, my personal highlight - lore! A hero shooter with actual in-game storytelling! Imagine that. Each hero includes a snippet of excellent writing found in their gallery that is just as compelling as the gameplay itself, showcasing various different story threads all slowly weaving together around the core conflict between two alternate versions of Doctor Doom. I’m just as excited to see how all their stories unfold as I am to play the game again when it releases on December 6th 2024.   I hope you enjoyed this quick review of the Marvel Rivals Closed Beta Test! Feedback, reblogs and likes are all much appreciated!

   Thanks for reading!

An Aussie Button-Masher

[mercy-main]

(Theory) I think hero 43 will be...

Maximillien.

[ID: An image of Maximillien from the shoulders up. His is an grey metal omnic wearing a fancy black suit. End ID]

Not only do I think Max is hero 43, I think he's bringing Archives back with him.

Max was recently teased to be hero 43 in the The Pocket King storytime video on youtube (narrated by his voice actor), he is shown typing '43' on his holoscreen.

[ID: A close-up of the holoscreen numpad. In the first image the number '4' is lit up, in second the number '3' is lit up. End ID] [Credit to @/hazelet on bsky for pointing this out]

After chewing on this for a bit, I realized...

If he is hero 43, he would be released in season 16 (roughly mid April).

Archives historically started in early-mid April.

Max has a connection to Archives, being an important character in Storm Rising.

Overwatch hasn't had an Archives event in 3 years, Max's release is the perfect "excuse" to bring it back.

Also

The community has always collectively assumed Max would be a support (if ever released), due to his characterization.

The devs said that they were planning on having 2 supports for every 1 tank and dps (until the roster levels out) for ow2. This was true for Lifeweaver and Illari, but not Juno. It felt a weird they gave up on this so quickly,, unless Maximillien was scheduled for a later release to line up with Archives

Also

Voice actors are expensive, why put in the effort and resources bringing him back for (no offense) pretty middling content if they didn't have bigger things planned for him & his character?

The Pocket King short story, storytime video, and vault are examples of Max getting a comparatively substantial amount of attention in a short amount of time. This might be the devs laying the foundation for his release.

His animation in the video is new, I believe (knowing how expensive and time-consuming animation is) this scene came from a larger currently unreleased cinematic, for a trailer or new Archives gamemode (like, they could of teased this in any number of cheaper, easier ways). This might be supported by the fact the background is weirdly blurred? or has been removed (to hide spoilers). Like what's with this brown void?

[ID: A screenshot from the storytime video showing Maximillien, his holoscreen, and the title of the story ("The Pocket King"). The background is indistinct and brown. End ID]

Overwatch loves red herrings (Orisa released instead of Doomfist, Juno instead of Jiayi), but in this case Max is a real, established character (unlike Jiayi), and I don't think a switcheroo is likely, since he isn't associated with any other character who could take his place (like Orisa could with Doom).

And in my mind, they can't not bring back Archives, that's too much work and lore and gameplay to be locked in the overwatch vault forever. But bringing it back will inspire backlash, because overwatch players have no concept of object permanence /lh (i.e Archives is PVE and will remind the community of uhh,, broken promises...). So it's re-release has to be a party to distract from the mismanagement.

A new, already well-liked hero connected to Archives, (of which Max is literally the only option, every other featured character is in the game (Ram & SJ) or dead (Antonio)) and/or a new gamemode is basically required in order to curb negativity. This might be arrogant to say, but it would be wrong to not capitalize on this.

I'm pretty confident in this theory, but it's very possible my desperation for archives may be clouding my judgment lol

TLDR: We might be getting Archives back (!!) to coincide with Maximilliens release, who is likely to be a support.

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Mega Drive - Comix Zone

Title: Comix Zone / コミックスゾーン

Developer/Publisher: Sega Technical Institute

Release date: 1 September 1995

Catalogue No.: G-4132

Genre: Action

Comix Zone is your average 16-bit side scrolling beat 'em up only with a neat twist: while many games count within their influences comic books and their related elements Comix Zone sets out to actually emulate the look and feel of a comic book by casting you as a comic book artist (who following the beat 'em up rules looks like a "Rad" twenty-something bozo and absolutely NOTHING like a comic book artist) that during a weird lightning storm gets thrust into the comic book he was working on and gets replaced by the main villain from the series.

Fortunately for us, the villain can't just leave our hero to rot yet since he must destroy him first to become flesh and bones. Unfortunately for our hero, that means he must escape the comic world by getting to the last page but he must also face the many villains he created and even more drawn from scratch by your nemesis, then defeat Gonzo the baddie at the end, save the world and get the girl (no I'm not making that up, there's obviously a babe and a world-threatening situation to solve in this game, it wouldn't be a 16-bit beat 'em up if there weren't!).

The gameplay consists of you moving through the panels and frames of each comic in standard sidescrolling fashion and facing each one of your enemies in hand-to-hand combat as well as jumping around and solving simple puzzles a-la "place the crates together so you can get to the switch above you" etc. The emphasis is clearly on the beat 'em up aspect of the game however, your character being able to kick and punch in a variety of ways with special moves and combos that make the game similar to a Final Fight clone (except on 2D only), which is always a nice thing (it may be an old, recycled thing but it's still nice). To aid you in the seminal art of ass-kicking you have a collection of useful power-ups that are stored in your inventory (which unfortunately stores only 3 items), and range from grenades and knives to unusual "super-hero" power-ups that enable you to literally rip the page (remember you are playing in a comic book) and destroy everything on screen.

As you would expect the graphics in the game mantain the look and feel of a true comic book, with colorful hand-drawn backgrounds and fantastically designed steroid/silicon-injected, spandex-clad characters to fight against (and doing so with smooth animations and moves).

While there are some neat "choose your path" areas that open up gameplay a bit and allow you to take a different route to your goal, most of the game is played in a very restricted way. You enter a new panel, kill the bad guy/s in it and move to the next one, repeat ad infinitum. Sure, when you get to the edge of a page you usually have to perform one of these choices, but the flow of the game is always the same. There aren't even any jumping puzzles (except for having to sort a chasm or two), puzzles are few and far between and they belong to the laziest examples in the genre.

Also being originally on a 16-bit cartridge you wouldn't expect it to have stellar sound, and you would be right. Generic "bops" and meh GEMS music [no matter how well Tommy Tallarico composed them] make most of the soundtrack. And on a more open note, the cliches of the genre can get very tiresome, with you facing the same enemy dozens of times and reading the "witty" dialogues where the hero describes how he is going to save the world no matter what and nothing can stop him and stuff, and the villains spout generic crap about how bad they are and how much they are going to punch you.

[s10127470]

Video Game Idea: Marvel vs. Capcom 4: Heroes Return

Hey! Marvel vs. Capcom is popular again! And it's all thanks to the recent account of Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection, a compilation pack of all the arcade MvC games and Marvel arcade games Capcom produced that's being released later this year.

This has gotten many people excited for three reasons...

This is the first time we've heard anything new about the Marvel vs. Capcom series in almost a decade!

This is the first time the games have been complied together

This possibly means that the Marvel vs. Capcom may actually be returning for a new installment in the near future

And this led many people to speculate and give ideas on what a Marvel vs. Capcom 4 would be like.

And since I like coming up with game ideas, I figured I'd hop on the train.

So sit back, relax, and join me while I take you on a train through my idea for the game....

Marvel vs. Capcom 4: Heroes Return!

(This is gonna be a short one, so bare with me)

Gameplay-wise, Heroes Return would essentially follow the same mechanics as Fate of Two Worlds, from the combat system to even bringing back being able to switch between three characters.

The new gameplay addition would the modified Team Combos.

Here, either two or three of your team can perform a Hyper Combo.

And it would be accompanied by actual names for the Combos, and a cool ass cinematic!

For the look of this game, it would bring back the cel-shaded look of Fate of Two Worlds, but obviously a little more polished with the advanced technology of today’s consoles.

Now we come to undoubtedly the most important part of the game: the roster.

Heroes Return would feature the biggest roster seen in the series by far, with a total of 100 characters (with there being 50 characters evenly for both brands).

And those 50 characters on both sides would be split evenly into two groups: Heroes and Villains.

Let’s start off with Capcom, since they deserve to go first after the bullshit they went through with the last game.

On the Heroes side, returning from the previous games we have….

.Ryu

.Chun Li

.Mega Man

.Viewtiful Joe

.Phoenix Wright

.Dante

.Amaterasu

.Strider Hiryu

.Arthur

.Morrigan

.X

.Monster Hunter

.Captain Commando

.Jin Saotome

.Frank West

As for the new Heroes, we have….

.Leon Kennedy

.Claire Redfield

.Luke 

.Kimberly

.Victor von Gerdenheim

.Apollo Justice

.Lady

.Regina

.Masamune Date

.Sissel and Lynne

As for our Villains, the returning baddies would include….

.M. Bison

.Wesker

.Vergil

.Sigma

For the new Villains, we’ll be getting….

.Juri

.Vega

.Dr. Wily

.Manfred von Karma 

.Grandmaster Meio

.Strider Hien

.Alastor

.Demitri Maximoff

.Lord Raptor

.Fatalis

.Scumocide

.Nemesis

.Alcina Dimitrescu

.Carlito Keyes

.Tyrone King

.Cyclops (Tyrannosaurus)

.Nobunaga Oda

.Hideyoshi Toyotomi

.Yami

.Astaroth

.Commander Sith

Now we come to the Marvel side of the roster.

On the Heroes side, our returning faces would consist of….

.Spider-Man

.Wolverine

.The Hulk

.Captain America

.Iron Man

.Thor

.Venom

.Cyclops

.Storm

.Psylocke

.Colossus

.Iceman

.Doctor Strange

.Iron Fist

.Deadpool

As for our new Heroes, we have….

.Nightcrawler

.Mr. Fantastic

.The Invisible Woman

.The Human Torch

.The Thing

.Ant-Man

.Wasp

.Daredevil

.Elektra

.Luke Cage

As for the Villains, the returning baddies include….

.Doctor Doom

.Magneto

.Sabretooth

.The Juggernaut

.Dormammu

.M.O.D.O.K.

.Ultron

In terms of new Villains, we have….

.The Green Goblin

.Doctor Octopus

.Carnage

.The Abomination

.Red Skull

.Baron Zemo

.The Mandarin

.Loki

.Enchantress

.Mystique

.Pyro

.Toad

.Baron Mordo

.Steel Serpent 

.Diamondback 

.Annihilus

.The Kingpin

.Bullseye

As for the stages, this game features total of 30: with 15 representing Marvel, while the other 15 represents Capcom.

On the Capcom side, we have….

.Genbu Temple

.Castle Wily

.Movie Land

.Courtroom

.The Demon World

.Kamiki Village

.Kazakh City

.The Ghost Town

.Zeltzereich Castle

.Metro City

.Space Fleet

.Fortune City

.Castle Dimitrescu

.Ibis Island

.Odawara Castle

As for the Marvel side, we have....

.The Daily Bugle

.The Weapon X Facility

.The Gamma Base

.HYDRA Island

.The Valley of Spirits

.Asgard

.The Danger Room

.The Sanctum Sanctorum

.Harlem

.The Baxter Building

.Asteroid M

.Shadowland

.The Negative Zone

.Jotunheim

.Latveria

And finally, this game would actually have a Story Mode! Being the first in the franchise to do so.

The first of actual worth....

Anyway, the story is pretty simple. It's essentially like Marvel Ultimate Alliance, except with Capcom thrown into the mix.

Essentially, an alliance between various Capcom and Marvel villains have been formed, led by M. Bison and Doctor Doom, who plan on using their combined skills and abilities to conquer the world and further their respective goals.

Luckily, this manages to catch the attention of Dr. Light and Nick Fury, who decide to retaliate by forming their own alliance of heroes to fight against them.

Once again, really simple story, but what will really make it engaging are the world-building and characters iterations.

The world of Marvel vs. Capcom has always been interesting to think about, since it appears to be a world where the Marvel and Capcom characters co-exists with each other.

But we've never really been given an in-depth look on what the world is like or how it works.

From what it seems like, the two brands have always shared this world.

And if that's the case, it would be cool to see how the corners of Marvel and Capcom connect to each other.

Or maybe this could like Battleworld from the Secret Wars event, where their world is the result of the Capcom worlds and the Marvel Universe being merged into one huge world!

As for the characters iterations, I can see so many between the Marvel and Capcom characters.

Some of the ones I can think of the top of my head include....

-Cyclops and Ryu being friendly rivals akin to the latter and Ken. Well, before Ken....ya know, fell off.

-Spider-Man and Morrigan being total besties and often throwing quips together while in battle.

-M.O.D.O.K. and Dr. Wily getting into constant arguments and trying to prove whose the better genius.

-Toad constantly simping for Juri, who as you would expect, isn't having any of it.

-Iron Man being a big brother figure to Mega Man.

-Hulk being an absolute dog person around Amaterasu.

-Deadpool constantly hitting on Chun Li, complimenting her thick legs, only to get his ass kicked every time.

-Magneto and Vergil bonding over their "I'm better than you" personalities, usually talking trash about their fellow villains behind their backs.

-Venom being Claire's big buddy and always telling her to...

Well that's all I have for now!

Let me know what you guys think about idea of mine's.

But most of all, let me know what you all think about the roster, since I believe that's the most important part of any Marvel vs. Capcom.

When making it, I wanted to make sure that both sides were perfectly even.

And for the Marvel side of things, I wanted to include faces from all over their universe rather than just utilizing the ones who are the big names in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And addition to that, there will be no MCU SYNERGY at all in this game.

Because we all know how much it helped the last game....

[1800duckhotline]

also if you want to feel evil LEAST favorite game within your favorite genre. 🫵 and why

THIS IS EVEN HARDER BECAUSE I'M USUALLY NOT A HATER.......... Or like not a fully committed one. I also don't know many like, hack 'n slash games I've played Proper myself (curse of not having moneys and watching gameplays mostly).

Maybe im just gonna say this because i've experienced it recently but while it's not my LEAST favorite or the worst of all time, from the same creators of No More Heroes... Killer is Dead is super mid. It was like. something similar to a terrible short storm followed by humid sunny skies. in a bad way. Sucks because visually it's amazing but the camera is nauseatingly sensitive and fast and the controls make you lose yourself when you play for too long. also seriously what the fuck are the gigolo missions for. like I know Why but WHY.

[flowersofstarlight]

Minecraft: Story Mode⚔️

A Block and a Hard Place

Despite the flaws it has, “Minecraft Story Mode” has always been one of my favorite games and holds dear to my heart. I don’t care that it’s bad, you can complain and hate it all you want, but I still think both MCSM season 1 and 2 were good. The plots in the story were interesting and the music is AWESOME!!🌟✨

For those who don’t know what MCSM is, it is an episodic spin-off game made by TellTale Games in collaboration with Mojang. It has the choices you can choose that affects the story in the game, and it allows you to choose which Jesse (female and male) you want to play as before the game starts.

MCSM is about Jesse and his friends who are on a quest to find four heroes called The Order of the Stone to reunite them and figure out how to destroy a giant destructive monster called “the Wither Storm” before it destroys the world. In episode 5 - 8 it is about Jesse and the gang continuing their journey through the portal hallway to find the right portal that leads them back to their home.

While season 2 continues a new journey with Jesse and the gang trying to figure out how to stop a powerful, main antagonist called “The Admin” from causing harm to their world.

So yeah. I still love MCSM. And I’ve been wanting to draw MCSM fanart for a while after revisiting and watching the gameplay on YouTube. 😊

[sapphire-weapon]

okay wow thanks for the explanation on the suppressant. i didn't know it was written that long ago. and how did you find it that quick anyway?

but also, do you think the writers intended it to be read that way? i know RE4R's story is good, but for the writers to be so subtle about it, they gotta be amazing at writing and delivering and i dont think anybody who writes the story for RE is at that level yet.

it's not that i dont want to believe in that take, but i also read ur post about how u dont apply "death of the author" and i just think "do the writers actually think like this? it wouldn't wrong for us to think this way but do they think of it like that?"

so i found it quickly because it's in my meta analysis tag. i'm very careful with that tag and only use it for posts that i think raise important points that i might want to reference later. this was one of them.

and i actually love the second part of this ask.

i don't personally feel that RE4make's writing is that sophisticated. it's sophisticated for RE -- but there are so many other games that have such better storytelling. SH2, spec ops: the line, hades, alan wake, disco elysium -- just off the top of my head -- are so rich in storytelling and so creative with how they convey it. even the evil within -- which was also a mikami game -- had an incredibly dense story that took effort and grit to fully unpack.

literally all that hirabayashi did with RE4make was hear mikami's pleas to fix the story, look at it, go "how can i do this without fucking up the gameplay loop or structure?" and decide that the easiest way to do it was by putting an emotional throughline in the game centered on leon and ashley's relationship -- which made sense to do, because that also lines up with the gameplay contrivance that the game is centered on.

he's also been working on RE since 0, so he's intimately familiar with these characters and the possibilities they hold. he was RE6's producer, so he knows that suicidal ideation is a part of leon's character -- just as an example. because it's in RE6 that leon admits to having been suicidal in the past.

we also know that he loves fairy tales. he wrote RE5's script, and RE5 is a modern horror fairy tale. sheva even has an alternate costume literally called "fairy tale." and, at its core, RE4 has the basic plot of a classic fairy tale. the Hero storms the castle, slays the Dragon, and saves the Princess. it's so easy to convert that into a more Proper fairy tale by tweaking the relationship between leon and ashley.

and the romance tropes and references he uses are very rudimentary. like, if you look at my posts, it's like... romeo & juliet and sleeping beauty. this is hardly a romance aficionado's deep dive into the romance genre.

RE4make is babby's first step into deeper storytelling in the video games medium.

so i really don't think that it's a stretch to say that this was his intention.

if you want to be really anal and pedantic about it, you can say that his intention was to make the story into something coherent and fluid, and the romance just happened to be a byproduct of that because that was the easiest thing he could reach for, but like.

to use the structure of romance stories and to consistently follow the imagery and symbolism and references of classic romances -- his reason for doing it doesn't matter. the fact remains that he did it on purpose, and it's reflected in the final product, and so that's what the story is.

i said this in another post, so i'll just paste it here:

So, sure. You could look at RE4make as a story about a man who’s just doing his job and saves the president’s daughter because idk he’s a badass and that’s just what he does. And he overcomes his trauma about Raccoon City because he actually saved a person’s life finally, and it wouldn’t have mattered who it was; it just happened to be Ashley. Sure. You could. But you miss the fucking point of what the storyteller(s) were trying to do. You miss the intention of the developers paying homage to RE4OG being such a huge part of so many people’s childhoods by turning the story into a fairy tale. You miss the parallels of Leon becoming a broken husk of a person because of failing re: Ada, and Leon finding his smile and his kindness again through Ashley. It leaves you with a shallow story where shit just kind of happens and Leon’s a cool dude who overcomes the odds all on his own because he’s so cool and strong. And you’ll never be able to convince me that that’s how the devs wanted their story to be read. Not with the deliberate layering of themes and imagery and allegory that they’ve folded into the narrative. And you’ll never convince me that all of this was just a coincidence, either.